Monday, 5 November 2012

Kaizen

Our default behavior as animals is pain-avoiding and
pleasure-chasing. [1]

Asceticism is roughly gaining the skill to control your
animal nature. If we can rid ourselves of “if only” thinking and let go of
desire (the theory goes) we accept and love the world as it is.

Tibetan Buddhism makes a life-long study of controlling our
animal nature and doing no harm. But leading a human life is more than just
being happy and doing no harm. This is a zero sum life. Life should be
about actively creating good in the world.
[2]

To improve the world, step in and make the improvements that you have to power to when you see something that could be better.

And so we have a conflict:

A good life is one that is happy and improves
the world.

To be happy one must accept the world as it is

To improve the world one must not accept the
world as it is

How does one act to improve the world, without being
attached to the result?

If you throw yourself 100% into something, do your best with
no reservation, then even if you fail to make the change you envisioned you
can’t feel bad because there was literally nothing more you could have done.

What if you chased the wrong goal? Similarly, if you can
honestly say that you chose the goal you did because it was the single most
important thing you could be doing, you will not feel ashamed for having done
what you thought was right.

And so, to improve the world without being invested in the result
(ie to remain unshakably happy in any outcome) one’s behavior must have a
certain pattern:

Be honest with yourself about the state of the
world and your own power to change it

Decide what is the most important improvement
you can make with one immediate action (for a loose definition of “one”)

With no hesitation or distraction, and a sense
of urgency and ruthlessness [3] do that one action completely and thoroughly

Evaluate the outcome. Watch the result and
learn.

Repeat

[4]

This is the Japanese philosophy of Kaizen. It is interesting
to note that through only thinking about leading a good life, we have arrived
at the central principles of agile software development. [5]

It seems rather surprising that thinking through the nature
of happiness and action in the most abstract way led to a concrete suggestion on
how to develop software. Yet perhaps we shouldn’t be so surprised: developing
software is, after all, a subset of “everything that you do”

When you exercise regularly in a variety of ways because you
want to be healthy and happy you become better in many physical ways. You look sexier,
you can lift heavier things, you get tired less easily.

There is a temptation to exercise solely for one of these improvements. Perhaps you’ve seen someone who lifts weights just to get big. People that meditate because of stress, or follow Zen practices for professional success are similarly stunted. Focusing on improving just one thing improves that thing without improving anything else, and that is wasted effort.

If you continuously look to improve the whole of your life,
the benefits you gain will similarly bleed into every aspect of your life.

[1] - This is the
“id” in Freudian psychology, also called the pleasure principle. If I had to word in this framework the
behavior of free will I would say that humans should be stagnation-averse and
kindness-enthusiastic.

[2] – Thai and Tibetan Bhuddists would argue that being an
example or teacher is a solid improvement to the world, and I would agree. That
is why I am sharing this with you J

[3] – at least this is how Zen actions tend to look

[4] – “the state of the world” includes the state of you. Sometimes
the best action you can take is gaining some knowledge or skill to improve your
power to effect the world or the accuracy of your world-model